BETTING, CALLING, CHECKING, RAISING AND FOLDING IN TEXAS HOLDEM

Betting, calling, checking, raising and folding are the five actions involved when you play Texas Holdem. As the play moves around the table, you’ll need to make a decision about what action you’ll do when it’s your turn to act. We’ll go over the five different acts here, but you should read our section on strategy to figure out how to make a smart decision on which action to take.

BETTING

Betting is putting money in the pot when there aren’t any chips in the pot yet for that betting round. If you’re the small blind or big blind, you’re also betting. Even though there are chips in the pot from the small blind, because the big blind is bigger and is not considered a raise, we call it a bet. Small and big blinds are required to post their blind bets without having seen their cards, which is why they’re also called ‘forced bets.’

In a High-Low Texas Holdem game, there are two betting values: a minimum and maximum bet. In a $3-$6 game, the first two betting rounds, the pre-flop and after the flop, you bet the smaller amount ($3 in this example). The last two betting rounds, the turn and river, you bet the maximum amount, which is $6 in this example.

CALLING

Once a bet has been made, if you want to stay in the game, you need to put enough chips in the pot to match the bet. We call this ‘equalizing the bets,’ or ‘calling’ or ‘calling the bet.’

During the first betting round, since there is money in the pot from the two blind bets, if you decide to stay in the game, you need to call the bet, which means putting in the same amount of chips as the current bet. If you really like your hand, you can call the bet and raise it. Even though you’ve probably heard it before, never say “I’m calling the bet and raising it.” This is a form of cheating since it gives you a chance to see your opponents’ response to an action you’re not actually doing (calling only) – don’t get in the habit of saying this. It’s called a ‘string raise.’

An example of calling would be: during the first betting round, the big blind put $2 in the pot, the next player raised it $1 to a $3 pot, as did the following player now making the bet $4. If you want to stay in the game, you have to at least call the $4 bet, meaning you have to put $4 worth of chips in the pot.

Another example is the small blind when the action returns to them. Since the small blind has to pay a fraction of the big blind and the big blind has already posted their bet, in order for the small blind to stay in the game, they have to put enough chips in to equalize the bets. For example, in a $2-$4 game, the small blind was $1 and the big blind was $2. If nobody raised, the size of the current bet (also called ‘wager’) is still $2. Since the small blind already has $1 in the pot, they need to call if they want to stay in the game, meaning they need to put another $1 in the pot to make it $2.

CHECKING

Checking is when you decline from betting or raising when it’s your turn. The only time you can do this is when you don’t have to put chips in the pot to equalize the bet. You can’t check pre-flop (unless you’re the big blind and nobody raised) because there is money in the pot from the two blinds that you need to call if you want to stay in the game.

You can check after the flop if nobody before you has bet or if you’ve already equalized the bet and the action comes back to you and you don’t want to raise. Remember, in a single betting round, the action can move around the table a few times due to people raising.

You can indicate you’re checking without saying anything by tapping the table when it’s your turn.

RAISING

One of the most important features of poker is raising. It is usually a reflection of a strong hand, but not always (a feature of bluffing). It is highly advisable to read our strategy section to develop a strong understanding of when to raise.

You can raise pre-flop, which is usually an indication of very strong pocket cards (your two private, face-down cards), as well as during the other three betting rounds. In a High-Low Texas Holdem, there are limits to how much you can raise. There can also be limits on how many times per betting round the player can raise. You need to find out before you play Texas Holdem what the limits are at your table. In No-Limit, as the name suggest, there are no rules to how much you can raise.

PokerStars.com is a great site with free tables where you can practice which hands are good to raise with before you start playing with real money. It is highly advisable to begin on free tables and move to pay tables only when you’re ready. PokerStars.com has been in business for more than ten years and has developed a loyal following based on their world-renowned security and impressive-looking cardrooms, in addition to generous bonuses that keep their players coming back for more.

FOLDING

There is no such thing as a bad fold – always remember that and you’re well on your way to a stellar poker career. Folding is simply returning your cards to the dealer face-down (mucking your card), relinquishing your claim to the pot and sitting out the rest of the hand. Don’t turn your cards face-up when you fold as it’s not fair to the active players left in the hand. Just move them face-down toward the dealer.

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